no passing zone

no passing zone, originally uploaded by marinatina.

It is 41 and rainy, after hitting 74 on Saturday. Apparently it will be in the thirties this week, with a strong chance of snow. I think that this week will be "pretty photos of Wisconsin" week on this here blog, because I think that I would do well to stay positive. Or some bullshit like that. Above photo was taken up north; I like the colors.

grey

I made this journal cover last week. I'm relatively pleased with how it turned out, though I'm going to adjust my pattern a bit when I make my next one. I'd like to make a few to sell at craft fairs this summer. Which means I should really actually fill out & submit applications for some craft fairs. Anyway. This one turned out well for a first try, and I'm kind of psyched that I figured out the basic pattern entirely on my own.









I made the bag last night. The fabric is Anna Maria Horner & some brown Kona cotton. I'm pretty happy with it. I'm finalizing my pattern for this bag--I say pattern like I have an actual physical pattern that I'm updating, when really I just sort of remember all the measurements that I used and will probably use the same ones next time. I think I might actually list it on Etsy, though probably not today. It's very gray and gross out, and I don't know that I'll be able to take any good photos of it. This one was taken last night with a flash, which is why it looks like shit. The bag is nice though.


There's not a whole lot going on besides that. This day feels a bit off. I've been cleaning, just to feel like I'm doing something. The beans I started yesterday finally finished cooking, I think. I took them out of the slow cooker at least. The recipe I used was meant to prepare dried beans to be used in place of canned beans, so I guess they're probably at that point? I'll make something with them and see how it goes, I guess. I made some more lentils using a recipe from a cookbook my mom bought for me. 400 recipes using three & four ingredients. She bought it at Costco; probably it's available other places too. It's pretty okay so far. The recipe that I used is supposedly dhal, but since it uses almost no seasoning and no ghee, I think that's a bit of a stretch. Still, it's a good lentil recipe, and I'm figuring out how to season it.

Oh god, this is boring! "I made lentils today, they were okay." I'm sorry! Next time, I'll try to have a recipe or at least a good photo or something.

slow cooker full of beans.

slow cooker full of beans., originally uploaded by marinatina.

I bought some dried black beans from Outpost last month. I got as far as bringing them home and putting them in jars before I completely stalled. Having to soak them overnight before I cooked them involved way more planning than I can handle. Until this weekend, apparently. I washed them last night & put them in the fridge to soak. I put them on low this morning; do you like my slow cooker? Nathan's mom gave it to me. I'm really into the flowers and the brown. Anyway, it was supposed to take 8 hours on low to cook them; I switched to high after 7 hours, and they have been in there for another hour and a half, and they are still not done. What the fuck, right? I guess I can put them on low overnight if they're not done soon, but that seems like a bad idea somehow. This is the first time I've cooked anything with a slow cooker, so I'm kind of lost when it comes to adapting to the unexpected.

Um, anyway. Isn't my slow cooker pretty? I think it really compliments my mixer and the awesome yellow walls in my kitchen.

a sence of

a sence of, originally uploaded by marinatina.

From the Magic Garden on South Street in Philadelphia. Kira and I went there on a day trip before I moved to Milwaukee.

blue + yellow

V, originally uploaded by marinatina.

This is the quilt I'm working on. Well, "working on." Probably it will not progress a whole lot further until May. I'm not entirely sure how big it will be when it's done; my intention is that it'll be at least 60"x60", but I'm not super clear on quilt math, with the seam allowances and such. I have learned one thing though--basing a quilt on 4.5" squares is a terrible idea. So many tiny damn squares.

exciting news!

[Disregard previous post; I finally remembered that something actually important happened today.*]

My cousin Jason is getting married! To this awesome woman named Sarah! And will soon be a stepdad! Which means I will soon have another... second cousin? I should figure out what that relationship is, my other cousin is having a baby soon. Okay, that's not the point, the point is Jason is getting married! Also, I get to be in the wedding party! Score!

Alright, back to my previously scheduled stupid schoolwork.

*Aside from The Resurrection**, obviously. Uh, also, I think it technically happened a few days ago? The proposal, I mean, not Jesus. That was years and years ago.

**That's what Easter is, right? The Resurrection? Or is it The... Day Jesus Flew Up to Heaven***?

***I did not think this was going to turn out so blasphemous.

baby carrots

My apartment is freezing. We turned off the heat at the end of March, during the brief period where it seemed like spring might actually be starting, and regretted it almost immediately. I refuse to turn it back on, as it is spring and it will clearly get warmer any day now. It's 36 outside right now, though; please remind me why I moved back to Wisconsin.

UGH DAMN

I swear, this semester just seems harder than every other semester, EVER. And not, like, devastating, not so bad that I just can't take it, it's just one thing after another. I broke a glass the other day--actually I'm pretty sure the cat knocked it off the night stand, but whatever--and I seriously just wanted to cry. Which is just fucking ridiculous, and totally melodramatic of course, but seriously, it's just one thing after another. Just, BAH. And now I need to finish a first draft of a paper that I actually am really into, and holy shit, I am a terrible writer and/or historian. A historian! That is why I qualify to be a TA, because I am a historian, or like a historian-in-training? What?

I don't know. I don't know where this is going or what the point is. But I saw Jeb the other day, and when I was leaving, he was like "well, I'll see you in another six months." And the reason no one ever sees me, the reason I rarely manage to finish the blog posts I keep starting, is because it is just one damn thing after another.

crafts!

Apparently Portland has a Museum of Contemporary Craft! Awesome. I also keep reading all these things that refer to Portland as a crafty city. I think I have figured out where I'm going for my next vacation. I wonder if I could fly to Portland, then take the train to Seattle and then Vancouver and fly home from there. I could probably do that in two weeks, right? I bet there are hostels there.

In other news, I am making steady progress on two different quilt tops. I think they might both turn out awesome. I read about this super quick way to bind quilts on the purl bee. You basically just make the backing slightly larger than the top and then fold over the back and stitch it down. The directions are toward the end of the project journal. The directions for tying off a quilt seem pretty clear too. Now I just need to finish off those quilt tops.

snow.

Yeah. It's snowing. Hard. There's a Winter Storm Advisory in effect until tomorrow morning. I find that completely unfair and illogical, as it is spring dammit.

My back is slowly getting better; emphasis on slowly. Fuck fuck fuck. I've been trying to catch up with all of my work today, the computer work I haven't been able to manage since Tuesday. I have been kind of down about how much work I have to do for the next month, and this snow nonsense is not exactly helping my mood. Everything seems to be very hard lately. That's a very nonspecific variety of whining, isn't it? "Life is hard." I am full of clear and trenchant insights.

This is all very whiny and annoying; no more of that. I bought a basil plant at the grocery store; I'm excited about that. And I guess things can only get better from here. Snow at the end of March is pretty lame, but soon it will be warm for real. And while it is killing me to not be able to sew, once I actually can, I will have so much fabric to sew with. Did I mention that I finished that skirt? I'll post photos soon. I have enough fabric to make at least four more skirts; there's something to look forward to.